Saltwater

Saltwater is a 12-year-old Cala Maria x Mugman fanchild, and a hero and younger cousin of Cupcake. She was overall inspired by Sea Tea, a fanchild made

by KarlaDraws14.

Appearance
Saltwater has a physical appearance reminiscent of a typical humanoid female character. She is a small, and cute mermaid. She has bright lavender-pigmented skin, and a small pointy-nose. She doesn't have any eel bite mark on any of her arm(s) because of her caution and safe behavior. Saltwater also appears to have a blue tongue.

On her head, she has a dead, dark purple octopus with light blue eyelids over X-crossed eyes, with a lighter blue coloring and navy blue suckers under the tentacles. Some parts of the tentacles are tied back with blue and white straws, resembling pigtails. The octopus clearly acts as her hair since the three tentacles in front of Saltwater's face are flipped back over her head, resembling curly hair-bangs in a pompadour, while the octopus's head vaguely resembles a hair bun. Although it appears to be dead, the octopus’s eyes clearly open if Saltwater is angry, surprised, or scared. The pompadour tentacles can also become snakes.

Her face consists of eyes that are oval-shaped with black pie-cut pupils.

As a sign of her mermaid status, Saltwater wears a dark sea-green shirt with darker sea-green sleeves, and her lower body is replaced with a green, fish-like tail. Her fin tail is shaped like three small waves split in two with three rounded tips on each side. She also has a blue seashell necklace with five shells.

If the player chooses "Yes" in Dana Devil's cutscene - triggering the bad ending - Saltwater's tail, and the stripes on the straw straw turn dark blue-green, her clothes are torn, and she gains yellow eyes with red pupils and sharp teeth, like her cousin Cupcake. The octopus on her head also turns into snakes like when she's angry, and it also becomes a dark blue-green color.

In her sleep attire, she wears a celeste colored tank-top, and her "hair" is down.

Whenever insane, angry, or "angrily-sad", her eyes will become menacingly cat-like with yellow scleras and black, slit-shaped pupils, her clothes will become ripped, like in the bad ending and her bangs becoming snakes. Her skin turns steel blue. Saltwater's tongue can also be forked and reptilian-like.

In the future timeskip, Saltwater's tail becomes longer and larger due to growth, and wears a translucent pastel crop-top with a teal sleeveless crop-top underneath. Her midriff is exposed and she now has 10 shells on her necklace, two purple bracelets each on both wrists, and her octopus "hair" is down, while the blue and white straw is styled into a bow tied around the octopus's head. She now wears dark-blue eyeshadow.

Personality
Saltwater is cautious and a bit of a worrier. While she secretly loves the adventures Cupcake drags her into, she often frets about the collateral damage they might cause. She has a somewhat dorky nature and tends to over prepare for a battle rather than jumping right in, similar to her dad, Mugman.

Saltwater is fun-loving like Cupcake, though she is shown to be careful and less rash compared to her cousin, and acts as the voice of reason for her. This is shown when she explains to Cupcake about the deal Dana Devil's offered and begs not make the deal with her, as that would end up costing them their souls in the introduction. (Cupcake went ahead anyway and the two cousins were forced to work with Dana Devil for a bit as a result.)

Story
In Inkwell Isle, Saltwater lived a joyful and easygoing life alongside her older cousin, Cupcake. One day, the two wandered far from home and ended up in the Devil's Casino despite the warnings of their dads, Cuphead and Mugman.

In the casino, Saltwater and Cupcake worked together to gain a winning streak at the Craps table that surprised even Dominique Dice himself. When Dana Devil approached, she offered the duo a bet: If the girls won, they get all the loot in the casino, but if they lose, Dana Devil will take their souls.

Saltwater tried to stop her cousin from rolling the dice, as she knew that gambling with Dana Devil wasn't a good idea. Unfortunately, her attempts were futile, as Cupcake had taken the bet and lost. The duo begged for Dana Devil to spare their lives, and was thus sent on a mission to collect her debtors' soul contracts by tomorrow at midnight in order to keep their own souls. Cupcake and Saltwater fearfully ran back home to their parents, who gave them a potion that gave them powerful abilities and told them to go along with what Dana Devil says for now.

After some training, Cupcake and Saltwater proceed to collect the soul contracts, battling bosses, playing through levels, and saving the Legendary Chalice. When they travel from Inkwell Isle One to Inkwell Isle Two, their parents tells the duo that their strength is growing thanks to those soul contracts, and soon it will be enough to defeat Dominique Dice in the battle and even Dana Devil.

Eventually, with all of the soul contracts in their possession, Saltwater and Cupcake run into Dominique Dice, who is determined to kill them due to losing a bet. After Dominique Dice is defeated, they then meet up with Dana Devil, who was awaiting them in her office. What the pair does next depends on the choice that the they decide. If they give Dana Devil the soul contracts, Cupcake and Saltwater become her personal lackeys and are turned demonic, creating the "bad" ending. If they do not give her the soul contracts, Dana Devil will be outraged and battle them.

When Dana Devil is defeated, the girls accept her surrender and burn all of the soul contracts, releasing the residents from their eternal servitude to Dana Devil. The girls then went home and told the residents that they are now free from their debt. They are praised for their bravery and an all-day celebration was thrown as thanks. Saltwater and Cupcake promised to never get into trouble again and succeeded until the next time.

Trivia

 * Saltwater's name was given because saltwater is a special water that fishes and other sea creatures live in, and that water is, well, hydrating liquid you put in either a CUP or a MUG.